Global technology company Honeywell is a pioneer of connected technologies that help ensure mining can become safer, more efficient, and more secure. As the sector remains, in many cases, the largest contributor to African countries’ gross domestic product, achieving such objectives is imperative. However, in many cases the uptake and implementation of such technologies has historically been delayed or impaired.

This has been driven by a number of factors, including a lack of knowledge and understanding across the continent of how technology can add value to mining operations in these areas. To combat this, General Manager of Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS) in Sub-Saharan Africa, Derain Pillay, says that the company is working proactively with customers on new digitized, connected technologies and training programs to help shape a safer; more efficient; and profitable mining sector in Africa.

“When it comes to the three core issues of safety; efficiency and profitability, digitalization is a game changer,” he remarks. “Automation is a first critical step that we see more customers embarking on. By automating certain processes, the risk of human error is minimized and operational performance is improved .” But, according to Pillay, this is only part of the story. “With increased automation comes data – terabytes or even petabytes of it,” he remarks, “And within that data is embedded the intelligence on how your operation is performing.

The chances are that hidden within that data are a myriad of process improvements that could be made to enhance the safety; productivity and efficiency of the operation. What we do is help customers get to that data and make sense of it.” Pillay is clear that Industry 4.0 trends such as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT); Big Data and cloud-based analytics are well suited to heavy industries such as mining, where there are numerous, highly complex processes taking place simultaneously. As connectivity and communications systems continue to develop, the applicability of Industry 4.0 to Africa’s heavy industrial sectors is expected to increase rapidly.

“Our innovative software-based solutions and services are ready now to help make companies’ operations safer; smarter and more sustainable. In the case of mining, this forms part of our ‘Mine of the Future’ approach, where we are working with customers to manage demand in a way that prepares for a better future for all of us,” remarks Pillay. But there is another piece of the puzzle that ties back to the issue of mining safety, this is workforce training and development.

“We know that the mining sector needs to focus on skills development and training at all levels to help improve its safety credentials. We have a number of technologies and services available today to support with that objective,” says Pillay. One such example from Honeywell’s portfolio is its Operator Competency Training, designed to help bridge the skills gap in maintaining and operating installed systems. Similarly, Honeywell’s Workforce-Excellence program is built on decades of worker experience using integrated control and safety systems. Honeywell has incorporated this experience into state-of-the-art competency-based offerings that improve workforce performance through perpetual; iterative and self-reinforcing training.

Pillay is clear that this is more than just a training course. “With Workforce Excellence, we offer a new way of developing your workforce day-in an day-out, from recruiting to retraining to retaining to retiring. This level of engagement on training has become very important as new technologies emerge that are connected; automated and fundamentally different to the systems sectors such as mining have relied on for decades.” Letting the machines do more of the work in environments that are more complex and hazardous is one obvious benefit of these new digitized technologies.

By implementing a centralized control room, or remote operating center, operators can monitor every part of the operations without necessarily needing to put themselves, or others, in danger. Honeywell’s remote operations offering is already widely used in the oil and gas sector around the world, but Pillay sees a significant opportunity in the near-term across Africa’s mining sector too. “When it comes to technologies like remote operations, we are bolstering our focus on the African continent right now, and continuously evolving our offerings for mining.

We are already seeing growing demand from the sector and I fully expect this trend to continue,” he says. Linked together by the common goal of ensuring overall safety of workers and operations, Honeywell also provides a variety of safety-focused products such as masks; hearing and eye protection and more. One particularly exciting offering is the company’s ‘Connected Worker’ platform, which monitors an employee’s breathing and heart rate, as well as tracks their location while on-site. “With this system, the employee is equipped with a real time locator that can track if a worker has the right personal protective equipment, or whether they are in the correct location, with the appropriate security clearance,” Pillay explains.

An alarm will sound if an employee finds themselves in the wrong area, or if there is danger that they or others should be aware of. And if, for example, the employee is having difficulty breathing, the tracking system will notify the control room immediately. This allows medical personnel and services to be dispatched faster. This, he adds, could be the key to advancing a ‘zero-harm’ initiative more successfully across mining operations. When combined with improvements in automation; remote operations and advanced training solutions, the potential of digitization is raising the hopes for a safer; smarter and more efficient mining sector of tomorrow.

Tel: +27 11 695 8000

Email: hsa@honeywell.com

Tony White

Regional Sales Leader - South Africa

Mobile: +27 71 287 2224

Mostafa El Hossamy - West & East Africa

+254 739 279172